Code SIN
by SimpleInsomniac
Summary: Sasuke's not the only one who gets special treatment. What happens when the Council forces the head of T&I to take on a genin team that included the Yamanaka heir? ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

Code SIN

* * *

Rating: T

Genre: Adventure

Summary: Sasuke's not the only one who gets special treatment. What happens when the Council forces the head of T&I to take on a genin team that included the Yamanaka heir? Team SIN is born. //Who knew Ibiki was so fond of orange?//

Pairing(s): NaruIno? Maybe… makes sense, right?

DISCLAIMER: I. Don't. Own. Simple, no?

* * *

Prologue

"Mitarashi Anko, you are now the official caretaker of Uzumaki Naruto. Congratulations." Koharu shot her a smug smirk.

The purple-haired woman known as Anko shrugged. "Whatever. Who the hell is this kid anyways? Well, like I care. Don't blame me if he ends up dead by the end of the week."

Most of the council members in the room had malicious grins on their faces. Only some of the clan heads, namely the Ino-Shika-Chou trio Hyuuga Hiashi, and the Hokage himself were even slightly worried about the welfare of the blond child. _'And they thought I was brutal? I've never seen anyone want a _kid_ dead so badly,'_ Anko thought disapprovingly.

"Now, now Anko. We put Naruto with you for a reason," said Danzo in a mockingly stern tone. Anko snorted.

"As if I need to know your reason, you senile old fart," she retorted. Some of the council members were appalled at her blatant disrespect at the feared old warhawk, but they couldn't really bring themselves to care about a former student of the traitorous Sannin.

"As I was saying," Danzo continued, not acknowledging Anko's remarks, "You will be the _child's-_", he spat out the word, as if the little boy didn't even deserve being considered a human, "-caretaker. He will be living with you from now on, as he has no parents that we know of. I'm sure you must still be traumatized with the defection of your _sensei_, and the child might provide you with some human contact. What? Trying to scare everyone by acting like Orochimaru with your stupid snakes? Kunoichi standards are dropping these days." Danzo sneered. He paled considerably when a snake shot out from the sleeves of Anko's trench coat to wrap at his throat, hissing menacingly at the man. He tensed as his Root members did not immediately come to his defence.

"I would appreciate it if you don't mention the snake bastard in my presence," she growled in a cold voice. "Now if you'll excuse me, Hokage-sama, I'll take the kid and leave. By the way, you might want to take care of the nins hidden outside the window. That paralysing jutsu will wear off in about five minutes. Ja!" She picked up the child wrapped up in a bundle from the Hokage's arms and whisked out in a quick shunshin.

The Hokage frowned outwardly and ordered his ANBU to detain the Root members. However, inside, he was chuckling jovially. _'Still the same, tactless Anko. Some things just never change.'_

* * *

Because the shunshin could not transport someone too far away, Anko landed right outside the Hokage Tower. Deciding to forgo the rooftops, Anko began to walk home. Glares directed at her reminded her why she usually didn't take the normal routes. However, she grew confused as the glares seem to intensify as they spotted the blond bundle in her arms. Thinking that walking home might not have been the greatest idea, Anko gathered chakra to her legs and hopped up to the roofs. She sped along the top of the buildings as she manoeuvred her way through the city rooftops and landed at her apartment.

She wasn't even sure the place she lived at could be called home. The run down apartment was in even worse condition as people constantly desecrated the building. The water usually didn't work, there was no electricity, and her particular unit had been vandalized quite a few number of times. There was almost no one living in the building as most people have been moving out ever since they've heard that she was living there. _'I guess they're just not too fond of Orochimaru's student,'_ she thought sarcastically. From the stairs leading from the rooftop, Anko sprinted down two flights of stairs and stopped at the third floor, where her flat was located. Surprisingly, throughout the whole journey, the kid in her arms had not even made a peep. Though she didn't know squat about taking care of a baby, Anko could still figure out that something was probably wrong with the child. She unlocked her apartment after making sure that she wasn't going to set off traps that the stupid villagers would put around her place.

Once inside, Anko hurriedly locked up the door and placed a genjutsu around the unit to give the appearance that she wasn't home. She rushed to her room and rummaged to a huge pile of clothing laying haphazardly on the floor to pick out a new set of clothing for herself, and one of the few non-revealing shirts for the baby. _'Even my smallest shirt ends at his knees. I need to go get some new clothes for the kid,'_ she mused.

A frown was on her lips when Anko noticed the complex seal on is stomach. Her eyes widened. _'Wait! Whisker-like marks on his face, born three days ago - so, October 10th__, Kyuubi attack, crazy ass seal on his stomach…'_

She scowled. They loaded her with the Kyuubi brat without even telling her! No wonder people were glaring at them! She felt her heart go out to the blond jinchuuriki. She knew how it felt like to be hated for something that was out of their control.

"Stupid villagers and their stupid minds. He's just a harmless little kid," muttered Anko as the child started to stir. _'I'll show that stupid Council who's boss! The kid'll be the best of the best when I'm done with him! No one messes with Mitarashi Anko!'_

* * *

A/N: first multi-chaptered fic! Here goes nothing! I know... plot is overdone... blehh... I'm trying to make this more original, but I can't think of anything... HUGE mental block right now... I don't even have anything planned out past the next two chapters... we'll see how it goes. - _Winging it again, Sin? This will be interesting... XD -_

Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment!


	2. Chapter I

Code SIN - I. Childhood Days - Messing With Anko

* * *

"Anko nee-chan, come play with me!"

The purple-haired kunoichi crouched down to Naruto's level and ruffled his hair. "Sorry kid, gotta go. I'm already ten minutes late for my first day."

The blond boy tilted his head in a confused manner. "Only ten minutes? Usually you're like, two whole hours late!" He suddenly remembered something. "Hey, hey nee-chan! You know that pervert with the silver hair and that orange book? What's his name? K-Kaka-something… Kakashi! Yeah, that's it! He's always late too! I bet he's copying you! Copy Cat Kakashi! Copy Cat Kakashi!"

Anko laughed. It was a carefree gesture, and one that was increasingly common to be heard around the little boy. Anko had come to care a lot for the jinchuuriki, and they have a very close relationship. "Silly otouto. Even though it's fun, being late is no good. Besides, it wouldn't be well to keep the head of T&I waiting, now would it?"

Naruto's eyes widened comically. "You're apprenticed to Morino Ibiki?! Great, now you'll find even more ways to torture me! I hope Ibiki-san doesn't give you pointers!"

Anko scowled at him and smacked him over the head. "Quiet, brat! Now leave, I have more important things to do! People to meet!"

Naruto snorted. "How do I know if you're not going to plan something behind my back with the head of T&I himself? No, it will be better if I follow you to work," he said seriously.

Anko couldn't help but to burst out into hearty chuckles. "Otouto, sometimes you're so smart I keep forgetting you're only three. Now's not one of those moments." She swept Naruto up into her arms and snuggled into his silky blond locks, ignoring the protests from the boy. _'His hair's so soft… I wonder what kind of conditioner he uses?'_

Naruto's muffled yells were ignored by Anko as she held him against her chest and shunshined away to the Headquarters of the Torture and Interrogation Department.

* * *

Naruto panicked as he caught a glimpse of a huge man with multiple scars adorning his face approaching them. "Oh shit… It's THE Morino Ibiki! I heard that he eats children for breakfast! What time is it- OH NO IT'S ONLY EIGHT! What if he's still hungry?! I am so screwed! ANKO NEE-CHAN HELP MEEEEE!!!" He wailed, clutching his nee-chan's trench coat tightly.

Ibiki shot him an amused glance as he stopped in front of the strange pair. However his mouth twisted into a frown as he spotted the foul mouthed kunoichi. "Mitarashi Anko… YOU ARE LATE!" he roared. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH INSUBORDINATION FROM MY NEW APPRENTICE!! DROP AND GIVE ME THREE HUNDRED PUSH-UPS!"

Anko blinked.

"WHAAATTTT?!"

* * *

"Ibiki's… a… fucking… psycho…" Anko managed to wheeze out to Naruto as she collapsed from her thirty-eighth lap around Konoha.

"Oh really now?"

Anko tensed as Ibiki strolled up to her with a grin, eyes full of mirth. "Naruto here is barely winded."

Anko managed to stop herself from snapping and lashing out at the man. "That kid's a stamina freak," she finally muttered.

Naruto shot her an apologetic grin. He was only running laps with her to keep her company. But Anko was right when she said that Naruto was a stamina freak. After running thirty-eight laps around Konoha – which was, incidentally, a very large village – Naruto was only panting slightly from exertion. Even though he was supposed to be a 'stamina freak', he was only three, after all.

'_Those idiot villagers chasing him must be more beneficial than I thought,' _Anko thought sadly, frustrated at the people of Konoha for only seeing the Kyuubi in Naruto.

Anko was broken out of her reverie as she suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine. She could've sworn that Ibiki had an evil glint in his eyes.

Ibiki raised an eyebrow. "Did I say you could stop? Give me twelve more laps. Once you're done, do two hundred more push-ups and five hundred sit-ups. Then we will take a ten minute break. We'll discuss your punishment for your tardiness after your break. NOW GET TO IT!!"

Anko growled. "Naruto this is all your fault!!!"

Naruto gulped. This isn't going to end well for him...

* * *

A tired and battered Anko was leaning against a relatively uninjured Naruto as they staggered into their cozy apartment. Naruto carefully set his older sister onto the couch before locking the door.

Anko groaned. Her whole body was one huge sore spot.

"Nee-chan I think it would be nice for you to take a bath," suggested Naruto. "You know, relax your muscles and all that. Besides, you're starting to stink up the place."

"Shut up, Naru-chan" she grumbled, too tired to do anything else.

Naruto took the hint and retreated from the living room. He slipped into Anko's room and pulled out a pair of comfortable sweats and a plain shirt, completely different from what she normally wore. He walked to a dresser and - in a true, non-perverted gesture - closed his eyes before opening drawers and pulling out his older sister's comfortable undergarments. He didn't let the fact that he could actually tell the difference between her many pairs of underwear bother him. He scurried to the bathroom and placed the clothes onto the laundry basket. He pulled out some towels from cabinets and set them down with Anko's clothes. Naruto then proceeded to fill the tub with warm water. _'I should've done this first. Then I wouldn't have to wait so long!'_ thought Naruto as the tub slowly filled up with water. He quickly turned off the tap and ran out to get Anko.

She was still lying down in the same position. Not surprising, considering the physical workout she partook less than an hour ago. Naruto carefully nudged Anko, gaining a half-hearted swipe.

"Go away," muttered Anko. Naruto ignored her and continued to poke her. Anko twitched in irritation. "Nee-chan your bath's ready," he said. Anko sighed. She heaved her feet off the couch and dragged herself to the bathroom.

Naruto waited faithfully outside the bathroom door for his sister to finish with her bath. Fifteen minutes later, Anko stumbled out, letting Naruto lead her to her room. He pushed her gently to the bed and waited until she was settled down before lifting the covers over her body. He padded softly out of her room and closed the door with a quiet 'click'.

Anko smiled as she snuggled into her blankets and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the blond jinchuuriki had taken a quiet shower and retired for his room as well. Snagging one of the scrolls he took from the library the other day, he brought it to the bed and started to read.

'_I hope Ibiki doesn't work Anko too hard from now on,'_ Naruto thought worriedly. _'I don't know if I can retrain a pissed off Anko for too long. Please Kami, don't let her go berserk when she wakes up.'_

Sadly, Naruto's prayers were not answered, and he was given a severe spanking by his dear sister when she finally woke up.

"At least one person enjoyed it," muttered Naruto. Anko grinned.

* * *

The next two years passed quickly for the two, as Ibiki gave Anko many tasks to complete, which meant that Naruto had to do them as well. Well, the less dangerous ones anyways. Training did not count as Anko did not want Naruto to be privy of the gory details in her line of work.

Sometimes, Anko had assignments and had to leave Konoha to hunt down someone or another. The poor soul.

Naruto would stay with Ibiki when Anko was away, as he as still young. It is not advised to leave a hyper, blond, five-year-old by himself in an empty apartment with a thousand ryo(1), as Anko had found out after a particularly long mission.

Ibiki enjoys Anko and Naruto's company, as not a lot of people liked to be around the head of the Torture and Interrogation Department for any longer than they'd have to. He has grown used to the siblings' crazy attitudes, and is pretty much immune to the two. This was what happened when he told the two...

"I like our private meetings," he stated.

"Then why don't you like hanging out with us in public," Anko pouted.

"I don't want to be seen around you two wack jabs. Imagine what would happen to my reputation," Ibiki said with a straight face.

Naruto giggled hysterically as Anko spluttered, grasping for a comeback.

"I like messing with Anko," Ibiki whispered conspiringly to Naruto. The blond boy howled with laughter.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the short length of the chapter, but I seriously suck at writing anything more than two thousand words long... ^^" thank you for your reviews!

(1) - I'm just making up the numbers here, so pretend that one thousand ryo equals something like a hundred fifty dollars CAN ^^"

to anonreviewer slick will _- here because Sin is sure that there is no other way to reply to you XD - _: nope. but she is awesome XD

S.I.N. has more meaning than the actual names of the future members of the team btw. hence the 'code'. _"It's a long held tradition within the T&I Department regarding their...." _well, I can't really tell you else I'll spoil that part ^^. but it's still a long long time away until that...

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment/review!


	3. Chapter II

Code SIN - II. Childhood Days - Messing With The Council... Part I

* * *

Naruto yawned widely. _'What time is it?'_ he thought sleepily. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. _'Eleven. It's still too early… But… I promised I'd bring lunch for Anko-chan today…'_ Naruto got out of bed reluctantly and quickly changed out of his pyjamas and into a pair of black cargo pants, a fishnet shirt, and an orange trench coat, before walking to the bathroom to brush his teeth. The sight that greeted him at the mirror was like a mini male version of Anko.

It was a training day for Anko today, so Naruto had the whole day to himself. Well, except during lunch when he will be eating lunch with Anko. Speaking of lunch…

Grrroowwwllll…

'_So… hungry… Must… have… RAMEN…!!!'_

Naruto stumbled down a flight of stairs and into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning sleepyhead!" A cheerful Anko greeted him as he entered the kitchen. She was seated at the dining table, two bowls of ramen placed on the table. Naruto blinked. When the sight of a smiling Anko did not disappear after a few seconds, he pinched himself to make sure it was not a dream. Or a genjutsu. "Oh Kami is she smiling?! And on a training day?! THE END OF THE WORLD IS NEAR!! NOOOOO I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIEEEE!!!" He yelled out in a panicked voice.

Anko whacked him over the head with a frying pan. "Shut up, brat!" She screeched.

Naruto clutched his head in pain. "How can I shut up?! For all we know, this will be the last few minutes we have together as brother and sister! I want you to know that I love you, and I'm sorry that I ate your last dango last week after training, and even though your cooking sucks, I appreciate the thought, and you're the best sister ever, and your clothes scare me, and-"

Anko sighed as Naruto kept on rambling. "Figures. The only time I get a day off and the idiot overreacts and screams his head off at me," she muttered.

After a few minutes, Naruto finally calmed down as he realized that the world was NOT about to end and they were still safe from the approaching apocalypse. "Why did Ibiki give you a day off from training anyways?" He asked curiously.

Anko shrugged. "I don't give a damn. As long as I don't have to do those suicidal 'exercises'." She shivered. Suddenly, her face broke out into a wide grin. "Let's go celebrate at the usual place! You know what that means, right Naru-chan?"

Naruto paled. "I'M NOT TREATING YOU TO DANGO AGAIN!! LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO POOR GAMA-CHAN LAST TIME!!" He whimpered, clutching his precious frog- shaped wallet to his chest. Anko smirked and pulled out a kunai. She had that crazy look in her eyes again…

Naruto could almost cry in defeat.

_'I swear, I can hear Kami laughing at me.'_

* * *

Ibiki twitched as he heard a terrifying scream echo through Konoha. _'Someone's causing pain, and that someone is not me! And I had the perfect drills planned for Anko today, too…'_

He scowled at the Civilian Council, who had demanded a meeting with the head of the Torture and Interrogation Department. Which is why he was in the Hokage's meeting room at twelve in the afternoon instead of torturing - I mean, training Anko.

"I hope someone is preparing these idiots' funerals," Ibiki muttered under his breath. The Hokage chuckled as he heard Ibiki's angry complaints. _'It's these days that I kind of feel sorry for the Civilian Council… nope, the feeling's gone. Must've been the ramen I ate.'_

The Council that governed Konoha was split into two factions: the Civilian Council, which was made up of regular citizens, and looked over the normal, day-to-day interactions within the villages, and helped supervise the trades and businesses of Konoha; and the Shinobi Council, which was composed of the representatives from each of the major Ninja Clans, who acted as the commanders and oversaw the military forces of the village, and helped protect and defend Konoha. Both parts have the interests of Konoha as priority. However, they were only to act as advisors to the Hokage, who had the final decision in everything that is related to the wellbeing of the village.

Almost all of the members of the Council jumped as Kakashi shunshined into the room, the infamous Icha Icha Paradise in hand. "I'm sorry I am late! You see, there was this black cat-"

The Hokage cut him off, mentally cringing at the one-eyed jounin's pitiful excuse. "Now that we are all here, let the meeting commence. Now, Hoitsu-san, please explain why you have gathered the Council, myself, Kakashi, and Ibiki here."

The man named Hoitsu stood up from his seat and spoke. "Hokage-sama, we have called a meeting because we feel that there are two exceptional 'ninja-to-be's in the Academy, and we feel that Ibiki-san and Kakashi-san would be the best suited in training the two when they graduate in three years."

The Council members all quivered in fear as a large amount of killer intent rolled off the head of T&I. He had to give Kakashi credit. He didn't even react to it. Needless the say, the Hokage was unfazed. "Did I _say_ you can fucking address me by my first name?!" Ibiki snarled. "This is what you summoned me for?! They won't be graduating for THREE FUCKING YEARS, I have an apprentice to train, and I am not going to fucking train a brat fresh from the Academy! Do you understand?!"

Hoitsu gulped in fear. Kakashi simply said, "If Sasuke and his team passes my test, then sure, I'll train him."

Hoitsu turned towards him, glad for the silver-haired man to divert Ibiki's attention from him. "How did you know-"

"-That you wanted Sasuke to be my student?" Kakashi interrupted, nose still buried in his smut. "Well, it was logical. I mean, I'm the only one who could teach him how to use the Sharingan. That is, if he awakens it." He took the book away from his face and gave the Council his famous eye-smile. "If that is all, then I'll take my leave now. Good luck with Ibiki-san! Icha Icha here I come!" Kakashi gave a perverted giggle before 'poof'ing out.

Ibiki twitched, then sighed in frustration. "I will be observing the Yamanaka heir. If she does not meet my standards, then I will not take her on. However, I have a few conditions. First, I will be allowed to choose the other two genins on the team. Second, I will be able to specialize the whole team in Torture and Interrogation. Third, I will be able to teach them whatever I want, no restrictions. And fourth, they will stay as a team under my leadership even after they pass the Jounin Exams, which I know they will. These terms are non-negotiable."

The Council didn't even want to guess how Ibiki knew that they wanted him to train Yamanaka Ino. They were given a few minutes to whisper and debate amongst themselves. Hoitsu, as the representative, finally said, "We will accept these conditions. Thank you, Morino-san for-"

"By your leave, Hokage-sama." Ibiki ignored the Council and addressed the Hokage. They gaped in shock as Ibiki gave them the finger and shunshined away.

"How dare he! Hokage-sama, Morino-san has crossed the line! I demand punishment! He _clearly_ does not have any respect for the Council!"

The Hokage scowled. "You are overstepping their boundaries. You have to remember that they are only here to advise me, not to usurp my power and corrupt our village! Now get out of my sight!"

_'I should've brought a camera. The Council members were doing quite impressive imitations of those koi fish(1) I have in my pond.'_ The Hokage cackled in his mind as the Council spluttered out curses, then apologies and other nonsense, in hopes of regaining the Hokage's favors.

'_Ibiki was right. It is fun messing with the Council.'_

* * *

A/N: I know, the first part is crazy and weird, but I'm too lazy to change it.. it is easy to see where this is going, no? ^^" the teams are kinda easy to figure out, but the third member is more like a poison specialist than anything else. does this give you more of a hint? _- actually, Sin just decided that he'll be the poison specialist right now... she had NO idea what his role in the team was XD -_

(1) - Question! _- that is totally unrelated to the story - _'fish' in plural is still 'fish', correct? ;p

Thanks for reviews!

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment/review!


	4. Chapter III

Code Sin - III. Academy Days - Messing With Sasuke

* * *

"HA! I MADE IT IN FIRST! BEAT THAT INO-PIG!"

"CHE, IN YOUR DREAMS BILLBOARD BROW!! NO ONE COULD PASS THROUGH WITH THAT BIG FOREHEAD OF YOURS BLOCKING UP THE ENTIRE DOORWAY!!"

The two girls, one with long pink tresses and the other with platinum blond locks tied up in a pony tail, immediately shut their mouths as they caught a glimpse of the resident Uchiha.

"SASUKE-KUNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They screeched in unison.

A blond boy at the back of the room was twitching in anger. He had had enough of their screaming.

"Shut up you banshees. I'd like to be able to hear Iruka-sensei when he starts to teach," he drawled. "Well, maybe not, but you get the point." Many of the boys in the room snickered. "Kami, you girls are so loud and protective over their 'Sasuke-kun'. What's so great about the stuck up bastard anyways? I hope not all kunoichi I meet are so obsessed with boys." Naruto continued, oblivious to the girls in the room who turned to glare at the blond. _'How dare he mock our Sasuke?! Oh, and our skills as a kunoichi as well! I'll kill him!' _and similar thoughts were circulating around the room.

A boy with black hair tied up so that it resembled a pineapple sitting next to the blond sighed. "How troublesome. Naruto, you are so stupid sometimes."

Naruto didn't seem fazed at all when all the girls in the class – except for Hinata – gathered around his desk, radiating killer intent. Ino and Sakura were leading the crowd. The blonde Yamanaka cracked her knuckles, rage at the slight on kunoichi fuelling her anger at the boy.

Shikamaru wondered why Naruto didn't seem worried at all when the girls' glares were threatening to incinerate him at the spot. "Come hear ye, the greatest secret of all time!" Naruto whispered dramatically. "What I am about to reveal will change the lives of everyone here…"

Naruto captured everyone's attention, students leaning in their seats to hear what the crazy cynical blond had to say.

"…Do you really want to know?"

Ino smacked him over the head. "Yeah, yeah, tell us the secret already!" she demanded. Ino, ever the impatient, gossip girl of Konoha, wanting to know the great secret, glared at the boy to hurry up and tell them.

"Uchiha loves tomatoes and hanging out at Training Ground 18. I bet if you bring hand-made lunches with tomatoes in it to him when he's training, it'll score points with the teme!" Naruto smirked triumphantly. Outwardly, the Uchiha was calm, and the only sign of him even acknowledging Naruto's claims were slightly paler cheeks and the hint of cold sweat appearing on his face. But on the inside, his mind was in turmoil and utter chaos. _'How did the dobe find out?! No! I'll never have a moment of peace!'_

The girls squealed in joy as they thanked Naruto profusely, not even caring he called their 'Sasuke-kun' a bastard. The boys in the class roared in laughter at Sasuke's expense. The great Uchiha, hounded by a pack of rabid fan girls. It was, when you think about it, very pitiful. Really.

'_He'll never be free of the banshees now!'_ Naruto thought gleefully.

Iruka sighed as he walked into the classroom, seeing a blond bow wearing a deep orange trench coat giggling madly, girls huddling around an unlucky boy's desk, a pale boy with blue-black hair trying to escape from his fan girls, and the rest of the boys laughing wildly. He rubbed his temples, trying to stall the impending headache. It was only the fifth day of school, and the students were already proving very difficult for him to handle.

"QUIET!!" The teacher yelled. Everyone cowered in fear at Iruka's displeasure. Everyone, except for the black-haired boy next to Naruto, who was still sleeping, and Naruto himself, who had seen much MUCH worse from his sister and Ibiki. Nonetheless, he quieted down in order to please Iruka.

Iruka sighed again. _'This is going to be a long day…'_

Outside the classroom, two figures were hidden in the shadows, observing the students. The shorter one giggled. "That's my Naru-chan!" She cheered quietly. Ibiki sighed. _'I have a lot to work on with the Yamanaka heir. She has a lot of potential, but only if she lets go of the infatuation with the Uchiha. She has an attitude, which will be good when dealing with the prisoners to put them in their place and to squeeze information, but it will be hard for her to cooperate with anyone except for the Uchiha. We'll have to see how she works with the other students.'_

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Naruto proved to be a hit with the girls in the class, especially since he seemed to know so much about Sasuke and his habits. One had to wonder if he stalked the Uchiha in his free time… But it didn't matter, because the girls were almost never mad at him. Ino, especially, was very interested in the blond haired boy. He seemed amiable enough, getting along with most of the people in the class. _'Except for Sasuke-kun,_' she amended. He seemed to hate the Uchiha heir with a passion.

Despite Naruto being the friendly person he is, sarcasm and eccentricities aside, he didn't have many friends. _'Kinda like me,'_ Ino thought sadly. Even though she was considered the most popular girl in the Academy, she didn't really have any close friends, ever since she and Sakura became rivals for Sasuke's affections. In the class of thirty, Naruto hung out mostly with Shino and Shikamaru, and by proxy Chouji. Kiba and the blond jinchuuriki had become friendly rivals, so they were often seen bickering and laughing. He was on friendly terms with the girls, but they never made any move to approach the boy, except when he had information about the Uchiha.

Ino, being the naturally curious person she was, approached the sarcastic boy after class one day to try to solve the blond enigma that is Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto!" Ino called out as Naruto walked out of the Academy. He turned around, spotting the blonde haired girl, and waved. Ino noticed that, like her, Naruto did not really have close friends to talk or walk home with. A fact that was glaringly obvious as girls and boys gathered with their circle of friends, and Naruto was the odd one out, along with herself, Shino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. _'No wonder he hangs out with those losers… they're as lonely as he is!'_ Ino lamented. _'Not that you're any different,'_ a voice whispered in her head.

"Hey Ino! What's up? I don't have any new stuff on Sasuke right now."

Ino's cheeks reddened. In anger or embarrassment she didn't really know. "You baka!" she cried indignantly. "I don't talk to you just to get information on Sasuke-kun, you know!"

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Then why did you call me?"

Ino hesitated. She didn't really know why she wanted to talk with the blond haired boy. She just knew that he was interesting and wanted to know him better. "I don't know," she finally said. "I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out or something."

Naruto blinked. Not many bothered to try and get to know him. In fact, Ino was the third person around his age to ever voluntarily approach him. Probably because their parents told them not to talk – or do anything – with the demon brat. Naruto flashed Ino a radiant smile, completely at odds with his personality, yet very familiar on his face.

"Sure, Ino-chan! Where do you want to go?"

Ibiki and Anko, who were still watching the two, had different expressions. Anko was cooing and gushing about 'Naru-chan's new girlfriend', while Ibiki had a look of satisfaction on his face, pleased the Yamanaka heir was finally communicating with a member of the male gender other than the Uchiha.

'_There might be hope for her after all.'_

* * *

A/N: sorry, no updates 'til next week. A lot of things going on, stuff to do, things to plan. I'm bouncing plot bunnies around my head, so I decided to write those down first before they completely consume my thoughts. On another note, MARCH BREAK!!! At least, it is here. I know some countries don't have March Breaks. A week off from school... too bad I have so much crap to do... argh... DX

Hope you guys have a nice week! See you next... Monday, maybe?

Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment/review!


	5. Chapter IV

Code SIN - IV. Academy Days - Genin Exam

* * *

"Hurry up, Whiskers!"

Naruto grinned at the nickname. "Aw, nicknames already Ino-chan? We're not even at the 'hand holding' stage yet!"

"Sorry to bust your pride, but I'll still choose Sasuke-kun over you, Whiskers!" The blond girl informed him.

Naruto shrugged. "Hey, no harm, no foul. I like being your friend, Ino-chan."

Ino mock pouted. "Does that mean you don't think I'm pretty?"

Naruto laughed. Ino just never changed. She's still the same brash, Sasuke fan girl that had somehow befriended the Academy anti-socialite. The same brave and fearless girl that defied the wishes of the other children and their parents, just for the fun of it.

However, today, said brave and fearless girl was nervous. Because today was the day that all the Academy students have been studying for in the last three years. Today, was the Genin Exam.

The Genin Exam was basically an evaluation of their skills, used to decide whether someone has the skills to be a genin. Of course, Naruto knew that there was more to the assessment of being a genin. Ibiki and Anko had briefed him on the subsequent test that their future Jounin-sensei would give them, to determine whether or not they have the necessary qualities or mindsets to become a shinobi of the Leaf.

"The Genin Exam in the Academy was used to assess your skills as a ninja - to weed out the failures, so to speak- , and your Jounin-sensei's trial was to see if you have the virtues or heart of a ninja," Ibiki had explained to Naruto.

But apparently, Academy students weren't supposed to know that, so Ibiki had lectured Naruto to not reveal his true skills during the Genin Exams. The point was driven home by Anko, who gave him a much more… painful… example to 'educate' him on what would happen should he not follow through. It goes without saying that Naruto was certain to follow his instructions to a 'T'.

With plans in his head on how to not excel, but still pass the Exam, Naruto looked like he was very anxious about whether he'll pass. But passing was not Ino's concern. She knows she will. No, she was worried about whether or not her friends (or Sasuke) are going to be in her team. Of course, there was a high chance of her teammates being Chouji and Shikamaru, because of their fathers' reputation as the famous - or infamous, depending on who you are - Ino-Shika-Chou trio. She didn't mind if they were put onto a team. After all, the three were childhood friends. What she did mind though, was that Naruto (and Sasuke) wasn't on her team. She just hoped that the pink-haired, 'wide-forehead'ed banshee won't be on her team.

Sakura.

She used to be Ino's best friend, but that all changed when they became rivals for the last 'loyal' Uchiha's affections. Gone was the shy, friendly, kind girl that was picked on for her looks, in its place an obsessive, annoying fan girl that cared about nothing other than her 'Sasuke-kun' and impressing the Uchiha.

Naruto had laughed when she had told him her concerns the week prior to the Exam, which resulted in a seven minute long chase, very tiring on Ino's part, but barely a warm-up for Naruto. Naruto had then explained that each three-man squad will usually consist of two boys and one girl. A fact that was probably true as there were far more boys than girls in the Academy, but could be false as some students in the Academy will undoubtedly fail and as such, not be promoted to genin and be assigned to a team.

Ino had then proceeded to grill Naruto on where and how he got his information. Naruto had pulled out a lame excuse as he artfully made his escape, which involved a lot of leaves, paint, and smoke. Yamanaka Inoichi and Yamanaka Hikaru had to deal with an irate Ino for the following three days.

The two blonds had become close friends after their… Naruto liked to call it, 'date', but Ino refered to it as their 'first encounter'. Whatever it was, the two blonds immediately hit it off, and they quickly became attached to the hip. It wasn't hard for them to be friends. They were very similar, whether it be hobbies or personality. Gardening, hanging out with friends and family, training to become a stronger shinobi/kunoichi, fearless attitude, outgoing personality, pride and attention on their beautiful hair…

But anyways, back to the dreaded Genin Exam. It only twenty minutes away, and the two blonds made it into the classroom ten minutes early. Naruto quickly spotted Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino sitting in the back row and hurriedly rushed up the steps. Ino walked behind him at a slower pace. As they reached the middle of the way up the stairs, a sudden, well-timed foot from the desks caused Naruto to trip and fall flat on his face. Sasuke smirked. "What's the matter dobe? Can't walk straight?"

He picked himself up with an annoyed look in his face. "Shut up, bastard. What the hell was that for, dog-breath!"

Sakura screeched about Naruto calling her 'Sasuke-kun' a bastard. Shikamaru sighed as her piercing shrieks woke him up. "Troublesome girl. Quiet down. Some people are trying to sleep here." He droned lazily to the girl sitting in the row right in front of him.

Kiba snickered from the seat behind Sasuke. "Nothing. Just like to see you pissed. After all, this will be the last time we'll ever be playing pranks, seeing as my genin duties will take up a lot of my time. You'll probably be bored, being forced to go back to the Academy because you suck too much to pass the Exam, but there's nothing we can do about it."

Naruto huffed in exasperation at Kiba's overdramatic tone, then continued on to the back row with Ino following close behind him.

"Hey Shika, Shino, Chouji! How're you guys feeling today?" Naruto called out cheerfully as he dropped himself onto a chair.

Ino rolled her eyes as she took the seat next to him. "Oh, I don't know, Naruto," she said sarcastically. "I mean, it _is_ the _Genin Exam_ today. How else are we feeling?" Ino put on a brave front, but the fact that she addressed Naruto by his actual name instead of one of his many stupid nicknames betrayed Ino's nervousness.

"Yeah, Naruto-baka!" Sakura cut in, interrupting their conversation. "It might be okay for you to fail, no one cares about you. But unlike _you_, our parents have extremely high expectations-"

She was cut off as a large amount of killer intent started radiating from Naruto. "What did you say?" He bit out forcefully, his voice a deep growl. Sakura gulped in fear as she felt as if the air was pressing down on her, forcing her to take deep breaths to calm herself down. Alas, that didn't seem to be working, and she was shaking in terror as the killer intent poured over her. Silence hung over the rest of the class as they, too, felt the heavy presence looming over the class.

"Hello, class! Are you ready for the Exam today?" A jovial Iruka entered the classroom, breaking the heavy tension in the room.

"Of course Iruka-sensei!" Naruto broke out of his funk and cheered enthusiastically.

Ino sweatdropped. _'I swear, he must be bi-polar.'_

* * *

The Genin Exams began without a hitch, starting with a paper test, eliciting complaints from Naruto and Kiba. A menacing glare on Iruka's part silenced the two.

Naruto forced back a yawn as he handed in his test. The questions were easy, but he had to feign idiocy, so had answered only the required amount to pass. Exactly twenty-eight questions. He was sure Shikamaru had done the same as well, albeit for less significant purposes.

"Jeez, I'm just saying, that knowing when and where the Niidaime eats his lunch won't really help us in battle," Naruto grumbled to Ino as Iruka announced that it was accuracy testing next while ushering everyone outside into the school training grounds.

The students were given ten kunais, ten throws in total, and required six, fairly accurate shots to pass. Red bullseyes were painted on ten logs about six feet away as targets. Shino and Ino had gotten eight; Chouji and Sakura, seven; Shikamaru and Kiba, six; Sasuke got a nine; and Hinata got a perfect score. No one was surprised. Everyone knew that the Hyuuga's family techniques and taijutsu style requires extreme precision. The rest of the students got a score somewhere around three to six. However, all throws, barring Shino, Hinata, and Sasuke, were pretty far off the bullseye. The last to go was Naruto.

'_Six to pass, huh? I guess it's okay to flaunt a little. Okay, let's do this!'_

Naruto threw the first kunai. It didn't even come close to the log. Kiba laughed as Naruto's first four shots missed the mark completely. "Give up, Naruto! Stop embarrassing yourself!" He managed to wheeze out.

Naruto turned towards the Inuzuka and shot him an innocent smile. "When you're done, Kiba. Care to observe my last six throws? I promise, you won't be laughing then."

With his back to the target, the blond threw the six remaining kunais all at once with amazing speed, and with deadly precision and accuracy, they all hit the bullseyes, spot on the mark, buried two inches deep in the wood. The rest of the class, including Iruka and Mizuki, the co-instructor and the other examiner, gaped at the blond.

'_How did he do that?! He totally missed the first four shots, though!'_ Thoughts and whispers circulated among the students.

'_That was amazing, Naruto! How much of your skills have you hidden from us?'_ Iruka mused, in awe and satisfaction from Naruto's performance, though slightly put off by the horrible – and obviously faked – previous first four tries.

'_How did the supposed dead-last gotten so much better?!' _Sasuke thought angrily. _'I need power to defeat Itachi! How come he is advancing so quickly? No matter. I will train harder and get the power to avenge my clan!'_

Mizuki narrowed his eyes. _'This might complicate things.'_

* * *

After the accuracy test, it was time for the taijutsu spars. The two chuunin instructors will randomly pick out pairs to spar against each other, and grade them on their performance. Naruto figured that with his display earlier, he should just tone it down for this round. With numerous thoughts in his heads as he waited for his turn, Naruto completely tuned out the spars going on.

"Okay, final match: Uchiha Sasuke against Uzumaki Naruto," Mizuki called out.

Naruto snapped out of his daze to stare incredulously at Mizuki. _'Is he insane?! Pairing the class dead-last with the best student? He must be out of his mind!'_

Nonetheless, Naruto walked towards the center where Sasuke was already standing, an arrogant smirk on his face. "This will be a breeze. I don't even know why you try. A dead-last like you will never become strong," Sasuke scoffed.

"You don't even know what being strong means," Naruto muttered, which went unheard by Sasuke.

"Okay you two, take your stances. Now… BEGIN!"

Sasuke shot off with a kick to Naruto's chest. Naruto decided to block or evade anything the Uchiha will throw at him, and refrain from retaliating. It seemed to be working, except that Sasuke was starting to get tired, and Naruto was still as fresh as a daisy. Sasuke started to get angry.

"What's the matter, Sasuke-teme? Can't keep up? I'm barely winded," Naruto taunted.

Sasuke heard the voice of his brother. _'Foolish little brother... What's the matter? Can't keep up with me?' _His vision flashed red, and started forming handseals. Everyone stared in shock. The Academy hadn't taught them how to use ninjutsu, other than the kawarimi, henge, and bunshin. An Academy student shouldn't even have enough chakra to do anything more than those three basic skills.

Sasuke's hands stopped at the tiger seal. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" He yelled out. A ball of fire shot out from his mouth.

Naruto's eyes widened. If that fireball came any closer everyone in the training ground will be hurt. He didn't think as he started to form handseals, his hands a blur to the eyes. He slapped his hands to the ground. "**Doton: Doryuheki**." He whispered. A great wall of earth rose up in front of everyone. The fireball made a large hiss as it impacted the earth and dissipated. Naruto sighed and let go of the earth barrier. It took a few seconds for his brain to catch up, but the boy suddenly started swearing. _'Shit, Ibiki and Anko are gonna be soo mad when they find out…'_ He turned a sheepish grin towards the shocked audience, mentally freaking out and crying in terror at the inevitable punishment he was going to get.

"Any chance you didn't see that?"

* * *

'_Crap, crap, crap! I shouldn't have lost control like that! I hope Iruka and Mizuki aren't going to add that in my evaluation… I hope Ibiki and Anko don't mind… Kami who am I kidding I am so screwed!'_ Naruto mentally berated himself. _'Okay, what's my excuse? 'I'm sorry, Anko-nee-chan. My fellow classmates were in trouble and I had to use a Doton jutsu to save their lives.' No, that won't work! She doesn't even care about them! What to do… What to do!'_

The fourth and final assessment has already started, and the two teachers had already started to call students up one by one into the room, unaware of Naruto's mini-crisis.

"I got it!!" Naruto suddenly screamed, scaring the other students. _'If I fail the next part, I probably won't be able to pass. And if I don't pass, then my Exam results won't be recorded! But if I don't pass, I won't become genin… Wait. If I barely scrape past, then I might still be able to pass. They might just think that it was a fluke that I managed to make that Doryuheki. I mean, it is quite common for parents to teach their children their jutsus, right? And plus, I get to find out what the deal is with Mizuki.' _Naruto had noticed the strange glances and occasional glares the chuunin co-instructor had given him. Nothing too bad. Mizuki had always hated him for reasons unknown to Naruto. Mizuki's actions gave an impression of a moderately powerful shinobi. His footsteps were controlled and stealthy, and he always seemed to check his surrounding environment. Naruto had once caught the man outside the room where Iruka was conversing with the Hokage about the students' performances in school, hidden behind an elaborate genjutsu. Very suspicious behaviour. Thankfully, Naruto was taught by Anko how to notice and disable such techniques. Was Mizuki a spy in their midst?

Students leaving the room either had shinobi headbands clutched in their hands indicating they had passed, or they came out empty handed, meaning they failed. All of his friends have passed so far. No surprise there. Soon, it was Naruto's turn.

He strode to the room and stood in front of the two chuunin. "Okay, Naruto. All we need you to do is perform the henge, kawarimi, and bunshin to pass," Iruka explained.

'_Bunshin? Well, I could fail on that. It's not like I do regular bunshin anyways.'_

"For the kawarimi, just switch yourself with anything here, and henge into anything you like. You got that?" Iruka questioned.

"Yeah, yeah… Kawarimi! Henge!" A large poof of smoke surrounded the room. When the smoke settled, a perfect copy of Mizuki was standing where Naruto was.

Iruka examined Naruto. "The henge is perfect, right down to the little details…"

The Mizuki standing in the circle appeared baffled and irritated.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," the Mizuki sitting next to him smiled cheekily.

'_Wait, what? 'Iruka-sensei'…'_ Iruka thought, confused. His eyes widened in realization. "Of course that henge looks so good. That _is_ Mizuki. Naruto, you performed a kawarimi with Mizuki and then henged yourself into looking like Mizuki! That was brilliant!" Mizuki hid his displeasure with an encouraging smile, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto. He dropped his henge and walked back to the middle of the room.

Iruka cleared his throat. "Okay, and the last test is the bunshin. All you have to do is to create three healthy bunshin of yourself. Simple enough?"

Naruto didn't answer, and concentrated on 'molding chakra'. And by 'molding chakra', I mean letting it go wild. Sort of similar to what he was doing before Anko had taught him how to control chakra. A few moments later, with a look of intense concentration on his face, Naruto called out, "Bunshin!"

Unlike before, not a lot of smoke was produced from the techinique. What the smoke revealed was a desperate Naruto and three sick and weak clones.

Iruka sighed in disappointment. "Naruto… I'm sorry, but I cannot pass you. You met the bare requirements for the written test, the spars, and accuracy. In fact, you exceeded my expectations when you actually put your mind to it. However, the jutsu portion… passing called for all three techniques to be done well. Failure to produce three acceptable bunshin results in failure. I'm sorry, Naruto. You won't be becoming a genin this year."

'_Oh crap, I failed. Nee-chan and Ibiki are going to be disappointed.' _Naruto winced and put on a face of despair, silently and discreetly observing Mizuki. A flash of insane glee flashed across the chuunin's face, before he quickly composed himself, giving off a disappointed air.

"Come on, Iruka. Surely we can pass him? He did try very hard. Besides, he passed all his other tests." Why the kindness all of a sudden? Definitely suspicious.

Iruka protested. "If I passed Naruto, what if he goes on a mission and those skills were needed? What if he got his whole team and himself killed because he didn't have the necessary knowledge to protect himself? I can't pass him, Mizuki."

Naruto walked out of the room with his head down, the image of dejection. His friends, who were the only ones still waiting in the classroom for him to finish, called out to him in worry. He ignored them and left the classroom. Iruka trailed out after him, shaking his head. His friends stared in disbelief.

Ino narrowed her eyes. _'Something's up with Naruto, and I'm going to find out what!'_

* * *

"Ibiki-san, the results for the Genin Exams are out. You are free to choose the other two members of your squad."

The scarred jounin picked up the list from the man and was surprised to see that Naruto had failed. _'What the hell? I told him to do badly, not fail! I'll have a talk with him about this tomorrow…'_ He cleared his throat. "Sorry, but I don't believe I have sufficient data on my candidates. I'll give you my selections by tomorrow. That should leave you with four days to rearrange the other teams however way you want."

Many members of the Council had confused looks on their faces, but they did not question him.

"Tonight, Ibiki," the Hokage said firmly

Ibiki nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Jutsus Used/Mentioned

Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Doton: Doryuheki - Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

And... if you don't already know...

Kawarimi – Replacement

Henge – Transformation

Bunshin – Clone

* * *

A/N: sorry for the late update. But it's longer XD. Better than the two thousand maximum I usually do… Sorry, Genin Exams is terrible… What is Ino up to? What happens with Naruto? Find out in the next chapter!

Sorry, school is catching up on me, so updates will probably be reduced to somewhere around once every week. Blehh, procrastination sucks when it all comes back to bite you in the ass…

Like it? Hate it? Leave a review/comment!


	6. Chapter V

Code SIN - V. Growing Up – The Truth

* * *

"Naruto, are you alright?"

"Yeah, Mizuki-sensei," Naruto said glumly, sitting hunched over while slowly pushed himself back and forth on the rickety swings.

"Don't be angry at Iruka for not passing you, Naruto. He's just doing his best to make sure that his students stay safe," Mizuki reassured him.

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I know, Mizuki-sensei. It's just that… I tried so hard this time to actually pass…" Naruto was proud of his acting skills. He even managed to fake tears and shudders, like he was actually crying!

"Well… I'm not supposed to tell you this… but there is another way to pass and become a genin. Think of it as… extra credit."

The blond boy immediately perked up. "Really?!"

Mizuki grinned evilly. _'Everything is going according to planned.' _"Yes, Naruto. It's very simple. All you have to do is…"

* * *

"Naruto! What are you doing with the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing?!"

A battered and weary Naruto flashed Iruka a large and satisfied grin. "Aw, Iruka-sensei. You don't have to fake it anymore! I know all about the 'extra credit', and guess what? I did it! I did it!"

Iruka looked confused at the blond's words. "Extra credit? What extra credit?"

Naruto adopted a puzzled look on his face. "Well, Mizuki-sensei told me that if I sneaked in the Hokage's Tower, stole this big scroll, and mastered a technique on it, I'll be able to pass!"

Iruka frowned. "What? Naruto, that scroll is very important and holds this village's most guarded secrets and techniques. The list of jutsus there are all kinjutsus. I can't believe Mizuki would actually-" He jerked as a large shuriken sped towards the two at high speeds from the branches. He pulled Naruto away just in time, and the shuriken barely nicked his arm.

Mizuki perched upon the branch. He smirked at the pair. "Well, well, well. Looks like someone managed to find us. Naruto, good job on sneaking in the Hokage's Tower. Now hand me the scroll."

"No! Don't do it Naruto!" Iruka said in a panicked voice. "That scroll contains important information on Konoha that could jeopardize our village's safety if fallen into the wrong hands!"

Mizuki ignored Iruka. "Let me tell you a little secret, Naruto. It's about something that is related to you. In fact, everyone knows it."

"NO! That's an S-class secret!" Iruka cried out.

"Did you notice how people seemed to hate you, Naruto? Well, it's because-"

"Stop it, Mizuki!"

"-You hold the Nine-tailed Fox! You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune! You killed all the people in that attack, Naruto. Because of you, many people lost their loved ones. Because of you, the Yondaime died, sacrificing his life to save the village. Because of you, my sister died. Because of you, Iruka was left an orphan, parentless!"

Naruto trembled in shock. He had only followed Mizuki's directions based on a hunch, and that action revealed a huge secret about himself that he honestly did not want to know about. What he heard sickened him. To think that he had caused all these terrible things to the village he wished to protect-

"Don't listen to him, Naruto! You are not the Kyuubi!"

Mizuki chuckled wickedly. "Kill him, Iruka. You know you want to. After all, he was the demon who killed your father and mother-"

"You're right, Mizuki. The demon did kill my parents." Naruto took a sharp intake of breath at that, terrified that now he would have two chuunins wanting to kill him, with no one to protect him. That one of the first people who actually treated him civilly, Iruka, would betray him. "But Naruto is not the demon. He is the one who is holding back the demon. And for that, I thank him." Naruto actually felt tears in his eyes. Someone other than his adopted guardians had stood up for him, when he had every right to be angry at him.

Mizuki scowled. "So be it. I'll have to kill all three of you, then."

Naruto baffled expression made Mizuki grin maliciously. "Oh, didn't you know? Your _best friend_ was here all along, listening to what I had to say."

Naruto stifled a gasp as Ino stepped forward shakily from the bushes.

"N-Naruto… Is it true? W-Were you…" She choked back a sob. "My uncle died in the Kyuubi attack. He was the only family I had aside from my mom and my dad. My mom can't have children anymore because of Kyuubi. Why did you-"

Ino was interrupted as Iruka threw himself in front of her to block an incoming shuriken with his kunai. The force behind the large, four-bladed weapon forced Iruka back a few steps. Ino was shocked still as her teacher staggered in front of her, anxious about the welfare of his students. He chanced a glance back at her. "Ino, don't blame Naruto for the things he did not do. Remember, it was the demon that attacked our village, not Naruto. He is simply the container, the cage that holds the Kyuubi. Isn't he your best friend? Don't you trust him?"

Ino remembered the times she and Naruto had played together, the fun they had. The cheerful and somewhat cynical blond had showed her kindness and had brought laughter to her life. He had made no hostile move against her. Why should she be afraid of Naruto? He had not changed at all. Knowing he held the Kyuubi inside him made no difference to his character. He was still Naruto. Realizing this, Ino felt slightly ashamed at the tone she had taken against Naruto.

Mizuki glared at the trio. "I didn't plan on using this, but you leave me with no choice, Iruka. Die, you traitorous fools!" The silver-haired chuunin picked up his last shuriken and launched the fast flying projectile at Iruka. The scarred chuunin could not dodge, because then the shuriken will hit Ino. All he could do was turn around and curve over Ino, hoping that the shuriken will not harm Ino. Iruka cried out sharply in pain as the large shuriken imbedded itself into a thankfully non-vital area, as noted by Naruto. Ino was terrified to see her teacher get injured protecting her. She just stood there, frozen in her spot, as she watched Iruka collapse on the ground in pain. Her eyes glazed over in shock as Mizuki cackled evilly, cut off from the world.

"Now, to get rid of the other two brats…" Having exhausted his supply of handy large shuriken, he grabbed a handful of normal shurikens and kunais. He threw those with immense power at Ino, who was still standing stock-still, unaware of the incoming danger. She finally snapped out of her daze as an orange blur landed in front of her, his body taking the brunt of the attack. Naruto's arms had more than fifteen shurikens and kunais imbedded in the skin.

He lifted defiant eyes at Mizuki. "I'm not going to let you harm another one of my precious people!"

Mizuki thought he saw a flicker of red in his eyes before they settled back into the regular blue shade. That was enough to get him spooked and allow time for Naruto to concentrate on his newly mastered technique. The jutsu looked incredibly simple and only required one handseal. Naruto put his fingers into a cross sign and said loudly, "**KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU**!" The clearing was flooded with Narutos. Ino stared in surprise as the bunshins almost appeared… solid.

Mizuki gaped in fright. He knew this technique. It produced solid bunshins at the cost of a lot of chakra. He might be physically stronger than Naruto, but it was three hundred to one in this fight. Naruto grinned boldly. "Get him!!"

Ino watched in astonishment as Mizuki got pounded to the ground by the numerous Naruto clones. The blond made quick work of Mizuki and tied him up to a nearby tree with ninja wire he procured from one of the pockets on the chuunin's vest. He flashed Ino a happy smile, before promptly collapsing.

* * *

"Inu, report."

"Uzumaki Naruto has been found unconscious with two other chuunins, Mizuki and Umino Iruka I believe, and Yamanaka Ino. We retrieved the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing from his hands. The Yamanaka claimed that Mizuki had tricked Naruto in stealing the Scroll, and Iruka was hurt by Mizuki. We have taken Naruto, Iruka, and Mizuki to the hospital to be treated and have brought Ino with us. She is currently waiting outside the room. Your orders?"

The Hokage made a few handseals, then spoke out in an amused voice. "Your reports are always so vague, Kakashi. Don't worry, no one can hear us. So what did you really see, and what do you think about it?"

The dog-masked ANBU took off his mask, revealing a man wearing another mask that covered up almost half his face. Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair, frustrated. "I saw an injured Iruka, a beat up Mizuki, and a worn out Naruto. Ino was just too shocked to do much. Honestly, I think Ino's right. Her story explains pretty much all our questions. What I'm wondering is how someone who just failed the Genin Exam beat someone of Mizuki's calibre. He couldn't have been anything lower than high chuunin level. But other than that, Ino's story should prove to be correct. We should get Ibiki or Anko to check her story, just in case. Do you want me to-"

The Hokage flipped his hand dismissively. "No need. I'm sure Ino will be with Naruto at the hospital. And chances are, both Ibiki and Anko will already be there." He contemplated the change of events.

"And Naruto failed the Genin Exam, you say?"

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, before shutting them back painfully. The bright white walls of the hospitals really hurt his eyes. _'I've always hated hospitals,'_ Naruto scowled.

Just then, the door to his room opened, and the person entering squealed in joy. "Naruto!" She hurriedly placed down the fresh flowers she brought into a vase near his bedside before leaping towards him. She embraced him lightly, mindful of any injuries he might have sustained in the battle against Mizuki. She hastily stepped back, looking at the ground. An awkward silence fell between the two. Ino still didn't know how she should act in front of Naruto. She was still a little confused about her feelings, and she didn't want to charge into this headfirst and possibly ruin their friendship.

"Did something happen yet?! Aww… I think we just missed it!" Someone stumbled into the room. "I told you to hurry up, Ibiki! Picking up girls already, Naru-chan? Maybe we shouldn't leave you two lovebirds alone in the same room anymore. I never thought I'd see the day my little brother finally meet a girl that likes him back! I'm so proud of you!" The purple haired, scantily clad kunoichi at the door wiped away an imaginary tear.

"Step aside, Anko," A rough voice behind the woman grumbled. "I wanna see my favourite orange loving, ramen addicted teenager already damnit! Now move it."

His words went unnoticed by Naruto as Anko gave Ibiki the finger before bounding up to Naruto and crushing him in her arms. "Don't EVER do that again or I'll castrate you, you hear me?" She demanded. "Why must you be so stupid in a life-threatening situation? Fighting against someone who is so much more skilled than you. My poor Naru-chan could've been killed if Mizuki wasn't so dazzled by your handsome looks!"

"Get… off… me… you… crazy… lady! Can't… breathe…" Naruto coughed as Anko quickly let him go, trying to get air back into his lungs.

Ino laughed nervously. "Are they always like that, Ibiki-san?" She whispered to the scarred jounin.

Ibiki sighed. "All the time, Yamanaka. All the time…"

* * *

"Morino-san, have you made your decision?"

Ibiki cackled mentally at the man's nervous glances that never met his eyes. However, his expression remained cool and uncaring on the outside. He looked… bored.

"I, Morino Ibiki, officially declare genins Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino, and Uzumaki Naruto as members of the new Team 4," Ibiki intoned formally. He observed the looks of shock, confusion, and disgust displayed by the gathered Council members.

"What?!" A brave - or most likely, stupid - Council member cried out angrily. "The demon brat didn't even pass the Genin Exam! Even if we did, we can't let you make him more powerful! The demon will destroy our village again!"

Ibiki paid him little attention. "Either I take those three genins, or none at all. May I remind you of our agreement? Oh well. I'm sure the Yamanaka will work better under another sensei, anyways. Kurenai, perhaps." His eyes showed slight amusement. Ibiki had utter conviction on the acceptance of his team. His confidence was frightening. No one dared to defy him.

The Hokage glared at the man that spoke out. "Masuko Takuma, you have openly disregarded my law concerning the Kyuubi and have expressed ill intentions and threats against Uzumaki Naruto, a genin of the village. As Hokage, I have the authority to charge you for insubordination and the threatening of a member of the shinobi ranks. ANBU, please take him away."

Three masked shinobi appeared beside the man, grabbing him by his arms, and transported away. The rest of the Council stared in mute horror.

"Uzumaki Naruto has officially passed the Genin Exam due to an exceptional performance in the arrest of a traitorous chuunin in our village. I think that his importance in the mission showed that he is fully qualified for the position of genin. Any opposition against my decision will be dealt with," the Hokage stated with finality.

"Yamanaka's family techniques will be a great advantage in our line of work, as demonstrated by the previous success with Inoichi as an interrogator," Ibiki continued, unperturbed by the apprehension of a Council member. "As well, a female's superior chakra control will allow her to learn jutsus easier, and create her own unique techniques. I also recommend for her to choose to pursue an additional option, such as being a medic-nin, given her excellent chakra control. She will serve mainly as the interrogator and healer in the team.

"From what I have observed, the Aburame will work great as an information gatherer and tracker for our purposes. I'm sure the tracking team can spare one genin candidate for the T&I Department. His ability with bugs will be of help in the Torture Department, seeing as the Aburame's kikai bugs can be bred with other species to produce useful toxins and chemicals for the less… cooperative prisoners. He will serve as the tracker and torture specialist in the team.

"Uzumaki has expressed a natural talent for learning jutsus, mostly due to his enormous chakra capacity and the influence of his tenant. He is also very capable of moving silently and stealthily, as years of avoiding possible assassinations within our own village have taught him." He glared at everyone in the room. The members flinched at his wrath, but they felt no remorse in their actions against the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. "This will enable him to eliminate or subdue enemies as efficiently as possible. His enhanced senses will help him home in on his target. He will serve potentially as the retriever and heavy-hitting support in the team. I might decide to let him try his hand at torture and interrogation as well. The roles in the team might change, as it depends on their natural aptitudes in their respective positions."

The Council never stood a chance. All of their opinions were simultaneously shot down by Ibiki and the Hokage, and they had no choice but to grudgingly consent to Ibiki's choices.

Ibiki grinned triumphantly. _'Ha! Those fools never stood a chance against my analysis and awesome logic!'_

A happy Ibiki is a sadistic Ibiki. As such, his unbridled glee is a terrifying thing. Everyone could not help but feel sorry for his next victims.

Even if those victims included one Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Jutsus Used/Mentioned

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique _-if you don't know this one, what are you even doing here?-_

* * *

A/N: crappy ending? Definitely. I can't think of anything else =.="… I just want to hurry up and finish the chapter so I can think up the next. I think… the next chapter is going to be confusing. Well, the thoughts for the next chapter is confusing in my head, at least. Mehh…

my brain feels short-circuited from all the homework I had to do and the studying I crammed in for the past few hours...

Like it? Hate it? Leave a review/comment!


	7. Chapter VI

Code SIN - VI. Growing Up, Team Training

* * *

"speaking"  
_'thinking'_ - normal italics are just stressed words -  
**Jutsu  
**line ----- indicates scene change or major time skips  
***~xXx~* **indicates a slight break, no scene change, a little time skip

* * *

"_To those who have passed, please return to room 207 in five days to find out the team placements. Thank you, and congratulations for passing!"_

* * *

It was Friday, and finally time for the genins to all gather back at the Academy to receive their team listings. For the past four days, Ino had stayed with Naruto to take care of him while Anko and Ibiki had missions and work to do.

During Naruto's recovery time at the hospital, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino had dropped by often, spending most of their free time with the two blonds. Kiba had came over as well, once, claiming that he was passing by and visiting his family member in the hospital. Naruto knew for a fact that none of the Inuzukas were hospitalized at that time. Ino's parents had also visited Naruto several times before he was released, two days after the assault.

At first, Ino had jokingly said that he was discharged early because the medical personnel could not stand to look at Naruto's ugly face for more than two minutes at a time. She was revolted to find that that was part of the reason they refused to service him. Bthe vessel of the Kyuubi had its downsides, but it also had many perks. A huge amount of chakra, enhanced senses, fast regenerative abilities, are just some of the benefits of being a jinchuuriki. Really, the only disadvantages of being him were the chances of Kyuubi screwing him up mentally – which hasn't happened yet, thanks to the Yondaime's amazing sealing talent –, his chakra control being horribly affected by the constant influx of youkai, demon chakra, passing through his chakra coils, and the hate of possibly everyone in the village, bar a few certain individuals. Because of his amazing healing abilities, Naruto's injuries were fully healed in less than two days.

The same cannot be said for Mizuki, who was currently in a mild coma and suffering from numerous wounds, all superficial. Iruka was cleared from the hospital four days after the attack. He had minor injuries, thankfully not fatal or extremely dangerous, and suffered from mild chakra exhaustion. For Naruto, chakra exhaustion was rarely a problem because of his massive chakra capacity, but when it was reached, like during the fight, it only took around eighteen hours for his chakra stores to replenish. For normal shinobi like Iruka, chakra exhaustion can take almost five days to fully recover from. Losing too much chakra can even result in death. But Iruka was thankfully okay, and was ready for Friday and the meeting with the new genins.

Ino had stuck by Naruto while he healed, and had offered for him to stay at her place afterwards, seeing as Anko and Ibiki were rarely home to take care of him. Inoichi, Ino's father, had welcomed him with open arms. Naruto had marvelled at his amazing kindness. Hikari, Ino's mother, had some initial reservations about him being the demon he was, but her doubts were quickly dashed away when she started noticing the way Naruto would flinch around them when they made any sudden movements towards him. That made her feel guilty about the way they were treating him. He was only a ten-year-old boy, for Kami's sake! Her doubts were replaced with fondness and occasional bouts of motherly affection, much to the embarrassment of Ino.

'_I feel this… warm, bubbling feeling in my chest. Is this what having a mother feels like? The warmth and security…'_

Naruto had decided that he quite liked this feeling of love and protection.

* * *

When Friday rolled by, the initial awkwardness between the two friends had melted away, and they regained the close camaraderie they had shared prior to the incident. They had walked to school together that day, Naruto having spent the night at Ino's house.

As they entered the Academy, the two friends tried to sneak into the classroom without anyone noticing, but was intercepted by Kiba.

"Hey, Naruto! This is for Academy graduates only! What are _you_ doing here?"

Naruto scowled at the Inuzuka. "I passed, dog-breath! See this hitai-ate?" He pointed at his forehead, where his Konoha headband shoved back his unruly blond hair from his face. "Don't tell me your eyesight is so terrible you can't even see this! Didn't you say that one time when Ino had walked in from the rain, that she was so soaked that you can see her wet, tan, supple-" Kiba paled as Ino shot him a murderous glare that promised retribution. "-New leather bag?" Naruto smirked at the terribly frightened boy. "Well, good day to you too!" The blond said with mirth as Ino dragged Naruto up to their usual seats along the back row.

They settled down into their seats, right as Iruka walked in. "Hey guys!" Iruka called out cheerfully. "How was your five-day break?" The new genins commented on their activities during the break. After a few minutes, Iruka cleared his throat, a signal for them to quiet down. "Now, onto more important matters. All of you are now responsible people, legal adults according to our laws. It is your duty to…"

Naruto dozed through Iruka's last lecture, tired from lack of sleep due to Ino. They had stayed up last night, discussing the possible team outcomes. They had concluded that Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino would probably be in the same team, most likely specializing in reconnaissance, as their family abilities greatly compliment each others'. Another likely possibility would be Hinata, Kiba, and quite possibly Shino, as a tracking team. Beyond that, they couldn't really predict.

Naruto started to pay attention as Iruka began to wrap up his speech. "Okay, now it's time to announce the teams! I'll only say this once, so you better listen! Team 1…" Naruto fidgeted impatiently, hoping for Iruka to hurry up with the team assignments.

"Team 4, Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yamanaka Ino."

"YES!!" Naruto and Ino screamed in unison. Shino merely adjusted his glasses. But to anyone who knew him, they could tell that he was extremely satisfied.

Iruka smiled at their enthusiasm. "Your jounin-sensei will be Morino Ibiki."

Naruto suddenly paled and clammed up. "Oh no… it's gonna be Anko all over again…" he muttered depressingly, curling up into a ball in his chair. Ino hit him over what she thought was his head, slightly disconcerted by his reaction to Ibiki as their sensei. "Calm down, Whiskers!" She hissed. "I wanna hear the rest of the teams!"

'_Haha! That means Ino-pig won't get to be with Sasuke-kun! True love will prevail, and Sasuke will be on my team, and we'll get to work together, then he's going to see what a great girl I am, then he's going to ask me out, then…'_ Sakura was lost in her own little world.

'_Naruto-kun… I wanted to be on your team so badly…'_Hinata thought sadly.

A couple of other teams were announced, but they were quickly dismissed by Naruto to be too weak to pass the second test. "Team 8, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your jounin-sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

Sasuke 'hn'ed. All the girls in the class turned envious eyes at the Hyuuga heiress, but they couldn't really get mad at the soft-spoken girl. Besides, her father probably wouldn't hesitate in harming them for acting against the girl. But it didn't really matter, because she wasn't much competition seeing as she didn't even like Sasuke, a fact that was practically incomprehensible to them. They felt sorry for the girl for liking the class dropout, Naruto. They obviously thought that there was something wrong with the girl that she would choose Naruto over Sasuke, and so not a lot of people wanted to hang out with her. As a result, Hinata was often excluded and felt very lonely.

Naruto snickered at Team 8's misfortune. "What are you laughing at?" Kiba demanded.

"Nothing," said Naruto, trying to reign in his laughter. "Good luck with Kakashi."

Iruka coughed to get their attention. "Team 9 is still in rotation. Team 10, Akimichi Chouji, Haruno Sakura, and Nara Shikamaru. Your jounin-sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai."

Shikamaru groaned. "How troublesome. Looks like we're stuck with a female instructor."

Sakura glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?!" She screeched. For once, Ino agreed.

Shikamaru groaned again. "Girls and their temper. They're all upset that they can't be on the same team as Sasuke. And we get the worst end of the stick, being stuck with Sasuke's number one fan girl. Chouji, I feel so sorry for us."

Naruto placed his hands together in a praying fashion. "May Kami have mercy on you," he intoned.

The rest of the boys suddenly turned serious, and pitying eyes were directed to Shikamaru and Chouji. "Amen."

* * *

Lunch was uneventful for the most part. Everyone was abuzz about their new teams and what they would do with their jounin-senseis later on.

Team 4 had calmly eaten their lunch in the forests, away from the other students. Shino and Ino had watched and listened attentively while Naruto dissected apart each team, stating their possible weaknesses and strengths, and what roles they would be most suitable for.

"Team 8, consists of Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke, and jounin-sensei, Hatake Kakashi. They will most likely be a tracking team. Hinata's Byakugan will enable them to quickly locate their targets. Kiba's from the Inuzuka clan, and their dogs and heightened sense of smell will also be useful for their purposes. Sasuke will most likely be the heavy hitting and support member of their group. I doubt the Sharingan would have much to contribute to the tracking aspect. He will most likely be the one to distract and disrupt possible enemies heading for their team. Their jounin-sensei is Hatake Kakashi, the Copy-nin, A-class ninja of Konoha. Rumoured to have copied over a thousand jutsus by use of his implanted Sharingan. Kakashi does not specialize in tracking, but rather in assassination, so my guess is that he is put onto Team 8 solely to train Sasuke, seeing as he is the last Uchiha and Kakashi does have a Sharingan eye, making him the only possible one to teach Sasuke."

"Team 10, consists of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Haruno Sakura. Possibly a reconnaissance team. Shika's clan techniques are effective for capturing the enemy, though it is quite cumbersome if the opponent somehow deduces he is of the Nara clan, as then they will know to avoid the shadows. My guess is that Sakura will be the one to distract the target, probably with genjutsu as she has excellent chakra control and relatively small reserves. Chouji will probably fill in the heavy hitting support role, seeing as he is the only one in the group that will have the necessary techniques to be effective in a full-out fight. Yuhi Kurenai, recently promoted to jounin status, known as the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha. She will be teaching the three the art of stealth, as their retrieval missions and tactics will rely heavily on sneaking up on the enemy. Sakura will develop under her tutelage nicely.

"Team 4, consists of Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino, and Uzumaki Naruto. Specialization is unknown. Ino's clan techniques are good for finding information, but leaves her open to attacks as she will not have control over her body while performing the Yamanaka's most powerful technique, **Shintenshin no Jutsu**. Shino's bugs are also good for information gathering, as most people never notice the bugs around them. As for me, I guess I'm the support, since the only thing I've shown them is an uncanny talent to pull plans and techniques out of my ass at the most inopportune moments. Morino Ibiki, the Head of Konoha's ANBU Torture and Interrogating Department - though only chuunin-level ninja and up will know this - , known as the Interrogator. I have no idea why he's suddenly taking on a genin team, nor what role he will play in our squad. Do not mention anything I have just told you to anyone. Not even your parents. Actually, _especially _your parents. They are on the Council and will not hesitate to jail me because I have so much knowledge on our village."

Naruto's hidden intelligence never failed to awe Ino. Shino was used to how Naruto used so many different personalities to hide his true personality and talents. The blond boy's serious attitude was not lost on the two, and they knew this was an important matter. His teammates had wondered what Naruto meant when he talked about his own analysis and how he had so much information on these people, but they didn't bother questioning the blond boy about it. They'll never get an answer out of him if Naruto didn't want them to. "What about the other six teams?" Ino asked curiously.

Naruto gazed at her calmly, as if debating whether or not he should tell her. Finally, he reached a decision. "They will not become genin, and such, are not consequential," he stated calmly.

Ino gaped. Shino remained calm and stoic, but his bugs were buzzing and flitting around nervously. "What do you mean they won't become genin?!" Ino shrieked. "They passed the test!" Naruto chose to ignore her. Ino huffed, knowing that the blond will not reveal anymore.

They lapsed into silence once again as their brief conversation and discussion died out. The rest of their lunch break was spent in comforting peace.

* * *

Team 4 returned back to the classroom, just as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. They were among the first ones there, as people started trickling in from their lunch break. The students settled down quickly next to their teammates as Iruka walked in. The new genins sat in tense silence, waiting for their jounin-senseis. Iruka supervised his students until their new teachers came and picked them up. So far, five out of the nine teams had left: Team 1, 2, 5, 6, and 10.

Kiba was bored out of his mind. His best friend and pet dog, Akamaru, was fast asleep on his head, and he had nothing to do while waiting for their jounin-sensei to arrive. He glanced over at Team 4, frustrated and noting that the three members did not appear to be as affected as he was about their late senseis. Naruto noticed Kiba staring at his team's general direction.

"What's the matter? Like what you see?" Naruto joked.

Kiba sneered. "As if, loser! I'd rather stare at an old guy's ass than look at your stupid face! I bet your sensei - Ibiki wasn't it? – took one look at your ugly mug and hightailed it out of here!"

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with Uzumaki's face, Inuzuka," a baritone voice behind Kiba commented dryly. The dog boy jumped, the voice had surprised him. Then he paled. Not many could sneak up on an Inuzuka's nose. This guy was the real deal. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking my students." Kiba quickly moved aside for the imposing man.

Naruto didn't seem fazed at all when the man stepped up towards him. The occupants of the room shivered in fear at the sudden drop in temperature. Naruto stared at his sensei defiantly, bright blue eyes drilling into the other's eyes. The man suddenly broke into a grin. "Been practicing, I see."

Naruto smiled right back. "Of course, nii-san. Or should I say, Ibiki-sensei?"

Ibiki gave him an amused smirk. "Don't think I'll go easy on you, Naruto. I know how much you can take. I promise you, what you did with Anko will be a cakewalk compared to what I have in mind for you." Naruto suppressed a shiver at the glee in Ibiki's voice.

Ino stared at Ibiki. This was a totally different man from what she had seen from him at the hospital visits. The cynical and slightly melodramatic man was gone, replaced by a cynical, slightly melodramatic, sadistic, and deadly shinobi. Actually, his previous persona reminded her of Naruto. She hoped that Naruto wouldn't grow to be like his nii-san. Kami knows that there are enough weird and strong shinobis in their village. A strange combination, but Ino was forced to abandon her stray thoughts as Ibiki motioned for Team 4 to follow him.

Kiba gave an involuntary sigh of relief as the man left with Ino, Naruto, and Shino. _'I hope our sensei's not creepy and weird like that,' _he thought apprehensively. Boy was he in for a big surprise.

* * *

Two hours later, a really pissed off Kiba was found pacing the floor of the classroom, further irritating Sasuke, while Hinata glanced at the door several times, playing with her fingers nervously. A previously asleep Akamaru whined on Kiba's head as he tried to calm his master down.

"Where the hell is that lazy bastard! Even Iruka-sensei left and he's still not here!" Kiba shouted in anger.

_'Hn, our jounin-sensei must be very weak for him to not want to come and teach ME. Must be afraid to embarrass himself in front of the last Uchiha,'_ Sasuke thought arrogantly, though very frustrated at a day wasted, waiting for someone inconsequential.

_'K-Kakashi-s-s-sensei m-must th-think I'm t-too w-we-weak…'_ Hinata sighed in depression. She suddenly whipped her head up us someone slid the door open. A silver-haired head poked in, a mask hiding the lower portion of his face. A gray eye blinked lazily.

"YOU LOSER OF A SENSEI!! YOU'RE LATE!!" Kiba screeched loudly at a volume that would impress Sakura. Akamaru growled at the man at the door.

Kakashi stared at the three in contemplation. "My first impression of you guys… I hate you. Come meet me on the rooftops in five minutes." With that, he shunshined away.

Kiba growled angrily and stomped off to the rooftops, as per Kakashi's instructions. Hinata followed hesitantly, while Sasuke snorted, walking at a leisurely pace. The three gathered at the rooftops, waiting impatiently for their sensei to show up. Half an hour later, Kakashi leapt up from a lower level. "Hey guys!" He said cheerfully, curved eyes the only indication of a smile.

"What the hell!! How can you be twenty-five minutes late!! It's a straight walk up the stairs from the classroom!! Argh I swear, you do that just to piss us off!!" Kiba complained. The dog jumped down from his head and whined, licking Kiba's hand.

Kakashi opted to ignore him. "Alright, now that we're all here, why don't you tell us something about yourself? Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams, those sorts of things."

Hinata fidgeted. "A-Anou… K-K-Ka-Kakashi-s-sensei w-why do-don't you g-go f-first?" She whispered.

Kakashi blinked. "Um… sure why not? My name is Hatake Kakashi, hmm I like a lot of things… dislikes… hobbies," A perverted giggle, "You're too young to know about them, dreams… well…"

Kiba stared at Kakashi. This was their sensei?! He face-palmed. _'I think I preferred Ibiki…' _

Hinata squirmed in her spot.

Kakashi picked up on Hinata's obvious discomfort. "Well, Kiba-chan, ladies first!" His eye curved up into the annoying eye-smile. Hinata giggled nervously while Kiba's face started to turn an interesting shade of purple.

"Well, my name is Inuzuka Kiba!" He puffed up his chest. "And this here is Akamaru!" The small dog beside him barked in greeting. "I like, well dogs I guess, gentle people who try to care for everyone," he blushed and shot a sidelong glance towards Hinata, who remained oblivious, "and playing with my family. I hate people who don't like dogs, who are mean to those who can't protect themselves, and late people." He glared at Kakashi before continuing. "My hobbies are training and playing with Akamaru. And my dream is to be the best Inuzuka tracker ever!" Kiba pumped his fist into the air enthusiastically at the mentioning of his dream.

Kakashi gave Kiba a strange look. _'Hmm… seems like he's not as big of an idiot as I thought…' _He gestured at Sasuke. "Okay brooding brat, your next."

Sasuke humphed. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have many likes, and I dislike everything else. My hobby is training, and my dream… well, it's more of an _ambition..._ to revive my clan and kill… a certain someone."

Kakashi rolled his eye, but no one noticed, eyes still riveted on the Uchiha while the brat sat there trying to look 'cool and mysterious'… failing badly. _'Hm, just as I thought. _turned his eye towards the lone female member of the group. "What about you, Hinata-chan?"

"A-Anou, m-my n-n-name is H-Hyuuga H-Hinata… I l-like c-cooking a-and I-I ad-admire p-people who t-try th-their h-h-hardest no m-matter w-what… I-I d-don't l-like p-people w-who b-b-bully o-others b-because t-they a-are w-w-weak… a-a-and I-I d-don't l-like the H-Hyuuga m-main b-b-branch…" she blushed self-consciously, hoping that no one would mention that to her family. Kakashi's brows rose in surprise. "M-My h-hobbies a-are c-cooking a-and m-making s-s-salves, a-and m-my d-d-dream i-is t-to be s-strong, s-someday t-take o-over the H-H-Hyuuga c-clan, a-and b-b-bring b-back the f-f-father I-I k-knew," she finished, her stutter taking over her speech.

_'Hmm, this group is certainly not what I had expected… especially the Hyuuga… I think I'm going to have fun with this bunch…' _Kakashi cackled evilly in his mind as he regarded his students with his eye. "Well, now that we know each other, we'll meet each other tomorrow at five A.M. at Training Ground 11 for survival training. Be sure to not eat breakfast! Well, unless you want to throw up! See you there!" Kakashi shunshined away, to the annoyance of the rest of Team 8.

"Survival training?! Again!? Kami I'm starting hate that bastard!!" Kiba screamed.

Kakashi suddenly shunshined back. "Oh, I forgot to mention. The mission is actually a test with a sixty-six percent fail rate. If you fail, you'll get sent back to the Academy! Ja!"

Kiba smacked his head repeatedly on a nearby railing. "NOW I REALLY HATE THAT BASTARD!!!"

* * *

"My name is Yuhi Kurenai, and as you already know, I will be your jounin-sensei. Now, why don't you introduce yourselves? The boy on the right?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome… My name is Nara Shikamaru…"

Kurenai waited. As seconds ticked by, she realized that that is all the boy had to say. "And…?" She prompted him. "Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams?

Shikamaru sighed again. "I like peace and quiet, I dislike loud people, my hobbies are cloud-watching and playing shogi, and my dream is to become an average ninja, marry the least troublesome woman I can find, retire from shinobi life, raise a few kids, and spend the rest of my days cloud-watching. Happy?"

Kurenai stared. _'This guy has to be the laziest genin I have ever seen! Sure he's a Nara, but he's lazy, even by their standards! How did he even pass the Genin Exam?'_ The red-eyed jounin pointed at the pink-haired girl. "How about you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura! The things I like, well, it's more like a boy… his name is…" Sakura started giggling and blushing. Kurenai coughed loudly. "Please continue, Sakura-san."

"Please don't encourage her, Kurenai-sensei," Shikamaru mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Kurenai and Chouji to hear.

"I hate people who look down on kunoichi because they think girls are weak, and bullies! My dream is for the person I like to…" At this point, Sakura was blushing madly, trying in vain to staunch a massive nosebleed.

Kurenai sighed. _'Typical fan-girl. After the Uchiha, no doubt.'_ "Okay, the last person?"

Chouji continued to chomp on his chips. "My name is Akimichi Chouji," he said, his mouth finally empty as he swallowed to speak. "I like eating. I hate people who make fun of others just because of how they look. My hobbies are eating and hanging out with Shikamaru. My dream is to open my own restaurant and become the head chef!"

Kurenai sighed in relief. _'Finally! A normal one! This team is not too… motivated. I mean, the girl seems okay, fan-girlism aside. One boy likes eating, the other is lazy. Sure, I'm supposed to pass them, but their making it kind of hard for me to do so. Let's hope they do well on my test.'_

Kurenai clapped her hands together. "Well, now that the introductions are over, it's time to move on to the important things! First, you will be administered a test."

Shikamaru groaned. "Not again… how troublesome…" Sakura shushed him, eager to listen to Kurenai's next instructions.

Kurenai glared at Shikamaru. "As I was saying, this test determines whether or not you will become genin."

Sakura gaped at her. "But didn't we already pass the exam? We have our hitai-ates, see!" She said, pointing at the ninja headband tied on the top of her head like a headband.

Kurenai shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Sakura-san. _This _is the real test, and only three out of the ten teams that passed the Genin Exam will become real genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. Usually, the test is given to you a day after you receive the teams, but I decided to do things a little differently this year. Anyways, your task is to find me and 'tag' me with one of these." She handed them each a little black sticker. "You are not allowed to leave the training grounds during this test. Other than that, there are no rules. You can use anything you like, as long as you don't run off. Alright? Begin!" Kurenai suddenly disappeared from sight. Sakura jumped as their sensei's voice seemed to echo from the trees. "I am known as the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha. If you don't see me, you can't catch me. How are you going to find me now?" Sakura placed her hands together to form the ram seal, yelling out 'Kai!'. Kurenai's laughter began to fade. "How are you going to find me when I'm already gone?"

"How troublesome… okay, I have a plan. Chouji, Sakura, come over here."

Chouji finally packed away his chips when he saw that Shikamaru was actually serious for once. Sakura looked at Shikamaru with curiousity. "A plan? Already? No offense, Shikamaru, but you're academic grades are terrible. I don't think your plans will work."

Shikamaru ignored her. "This is what we'll do…"

Sakura stared at him with amazement. "And you thought of that just now? Are you sure you didn't know of this test already?"

Chouji smiled at her. "Shikamaru was always a genius; he was just too lazy to pay attention in class."

Sakura continued to stare at Shikamaru, disbelief in her eyes. "You mean to tell me that he didn't do well in class because he was too _lazy_ to do anything?!"

Chouji nodded sheepishly, embarrassed for his friend. "Pretty much. Now, let's start the plan…"

***~xXx~***

"Your efforts are admirable, but you still haven't managed to tag me. Are you ready to give up?" Kurenai tried to steady her breathing as she taunted her students. Truth was, the three was surprisingly good. She was actually breathing hard from their attempts.

A voice behind her spoke. "Sorry, sensei. We win. **Kagemane no Jutsu **success."

Shikamaru stepped out from the trees smirking, forcing Kurenai to walk up a few steps. Sakura appeared in front of her and slapped a black sticker on her wrist, a huge grin on her face.

"Clever. Using those traps to distract me while manoeuvring me to the perfect location, then having Chouji engage me in taijutsu while Sakura places a genjutsu on me. Then, while I was fighting against Chouji, you were secretly behind me hidden in the trees and under a layer of genjutsu. Your shadow crept up on me from behind so that I couldn't stop it, not without Chouji also sticking a black sticker onto me. You utilized my weakness in close combat to its fullest. Brilliant tactics. The Naras do have a brain after all." Kurenai sighed in defeat. "Fine, you win. Team 10, pass."

"YATTA!" Sakura screamed, rushing over to her other two teammates to share a group hug. Shikamaru quickly disengaged his jutsu and, just as Sakura tackled them. As soon as the three got out of the hug, they dusted themselves off. Sakura and Chouji continued to cheer loudly, while a small satisfied smile was seen on Shikamaru's face.

"Alright, team! You will have the rest of the day off to prepare for tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Sakura echoed. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

Kurenai gave them a cheeky grin. "You'll find out tomorrow."

Shikamaru groaned. "How troublesome."

* * *

Back with Naruto, Ibiki had taken the three through numerous alleyways and secret passages that had Shino and Ino thoroughly confused by the time that they reached their destination. Naruto had recognized the route and had kept quiet.

"Aha! Here we are! Welcome to the Head Quarters of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Department!" Ibiki gestured grandly.

Ino blinked. "Uh… Ibiki-sensei… you do know that's just the side of the Hokage Mountain, right?"

Ibiki scowled. "Silly girl! This is a high level genjutsu to conceal our hideout. You don't think the HQ of T&I would be in plain view of anyone, did you? Well, technically it is, as many people pass this point every single day. No one but the people in T&I and clan members with special doujutsus can detect this level of genjtus." He did a complex string of handseals too fast for the three to see, before the wall shimmered, revealing a hidden doorway. "Now follow me," Ibiki commanded.

As Team 4 made their way through the HQ, they received many odd looks from the people inside. Ibiki shot them all a cold glare. He informed the trio that he would provide a map of the HQ for them to memorize later. "Except for Naruto," he amended. "He's been here a lot of times," Ibiki grinned at the blond boy.

Ino and Shino gave Naruto a weird look, before shrugging. As Team 4 was ushered into a large office, Ibiki placed a silencing jutsu over the room. "Now that we're here, no one can listen in on us. Now, I'm assuming that Naruto has analyzed the teams already, correct? Good. I am also assuming that he has left a couple of teams out as unimportant, am I right?" At their nods, he continued. "Well, the real reason why he did that was because I told him to. Those teams will not become genin."

As Ino opened her mouth to protest, Ibiki silenced her with a glare. "Let me finish. They will not become genin because everyone who have passed the Genin Exam will have to go through a second test staged by their jounin-sensei. These tests will be centered around a characteristic or important value of being a shinobi of Konoha, most likely teamwork or some such. Only three teams will pass, which is predetermined by the Council."

"But that's not fair!" Ino blurted out.

Ibiki stared at the girl. "We're ninjas, girly, not fucking saints. We're not paid to be fair," he stated bluntly. "As I was saying, the teams are predetermined. The teams with the most influential connections, mainly the ninja clan heirs, are definitely going to pass. As for our group, you guys were handpicked by me, to be an extremely specialized and unique group. For the next few years, you will be training under me to be the first torture and interrogation team. The Council has no say in what I do with you three, and I have free reign over our activities. Now, any questions?"

Shino raised his hand. "Sensei, as you have revealed the jounin assessment, are you implying that we do not have to take this test?"

Ibiki chuckled. "There would be no point. Even if you failed, the Council would've forced me to pass you guys anyways."

The three nodded in understanding.

Ibiki reached over to a nearby bookshelf and pulled out three scrolls. He tossed them to his students and grinned, sending shivers down their backs. "These are the maps of the HQ. The handseals to the entrance I will show you myself, after you guys have had more experience and gained my trust. Even Naruto doesn't know them. Hehe, I expect these maps memorized, or else you're going to experience our profession first hand… Feel honoured. You'll be the first ones to suffer my methods and live." He gave the three a hungry stare.

His students gulped.

"I knew it, I just knew it," Naruto muttered under his breath. "What did I tell you Ino?"

Ibiki smirked triumphantly. Oh, wait 'til they see what he has planned for them…

* * *

Jutsu Used/Mentioned

**Shintenshin no Jutsu **- Mind Body Switch Technique; the user's consciousness leaves their body and transfers to another person or animal, in order to control their mind. This technique leaves the body defenseless, and any damage taken by the victim will similarly be inflicted on the user. The mind transfer is slow and moves in a straight line, which means that this technique is best used on stationary targets. Though it is very rare, if the victim has a strong will, they might be able to force the user out of their mind.

**Kagemane no Jutsu **- Shadow Imitation Technique; allows the user to extend his or her shadow as far as possible. When the user's shadow comes into contact with the shadow of the victim, the two shadows merge and the victim is forced to imitate the user's movements. This technique uses up a lot of chakra, and as with the **Shintenshin no Jutsu**, a strong will might be able to overpower the shadow imitation.

Thank you Narutopedia!

* * *

A/N: whaatt?? it doesn't feel like anything happened in this chapter… iunno :P I dun wanna write the next chapter… cuz I'm tired… and school sucks… and… and… other reasons… just because we have a four-day break doesn't mean that we have nothing to DO in those four days… teachers are evil DX three projects EACH for two subjects, a French write-up, a lab report, and a math assignment due this week… so I'm uploading early... 'cause I'll probably forget to do it this week anyways -.-

**EDITED: because i was a fail and uploaded the incomplete version =.=" also, who knew hinata's part would be so hard to write?? stutters are annoying to type.. **

Like it? Hate it? Leave a review/comment!


	8. Interlude I

Code SIN - Interlude I. Kakashi's Fault

* * *

**IMPORTANT: because I was a fail and posted the incomplete version of chapter 6 =.=" Go back and read it if you haven't already!! **

* * *

"speaking"  
_'thoughts'_ - normal italics without the ' ' is emphasized words  
-line- major time skip and/or scene change**  
*~xXxXxXx~*** very small time skip

* * *

Saturday morning dawned bright and early as a grumpy and bedraggled Kiba made his way to Training Ground 11. He frowned as he saw Hinata and Sasuke already there and sat himself down under the shade of a nearby tree.

'_It's all Kakashi-sensei's fault that I'm hungry and tired… on a Saturday morning no less!' _Kiba bemoaned his lack of rest. Sasuke could not care less. He woke at around five every morning for his training anyways, so this was not such a big deal. He was frustrated, however, at even _more_ time taken away from his training. Hinata was only slightly sleepy, as she had informed her father of her 'survival training' the night before and excused herself from dinner early. Hiashi had expressed his distaste upon hearing that her jounin-sensei was to be Kakashi. Hinata had been confused at her father's reaction, but had brushed it off. The three Academy graduates silently cursed Kakashi for telling them to meet him at five in morning and to skip breakfast.

As the hours slowly ticked by, the three grew more and more frustrated at their jounin-sensei. "It's been three hours already where the hell is he!!" Kiba screamed. Hinata twitched. Even her patience was stretched thin. _'I am a Hyuuga, damnit! We must have the utmost control on our emotions!'_ Of course, her thoughts were much less demanding and vulgar, but that was the main gist of it. She decided to practice the Academy taijutsu style as warm up for their survival training and test. She would have liked to practice her Jyuuken, but there were people watching, and she could not risk having her clan's famed taijutsu style being exposed to other clan heirs. Especially the Uchiha. Sasuke noticed Hinata practicing her taijutsu and opted to do the same as well. Kiba continued to be unaware of his teammates' actions and spent his time sulking while waiting for Kakashi. Akamaru whined as his master ignored him in favour of muttering and grumbling about their late sensei.

Finally, as it was reaching noon, Kakashi appeared with a cloth sack over his shoulder. "Hey guys!" Kakashi greeted them, eyes curved in his annoying smile. "Sorry I'm late! You see, I was walking here when I saw a black cat crossed my path, so I had to go the long way around-"

"That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard!" Kiba yelled, pointing his finger at the tardy jounin, while Akamaru barked in agreement.

Kakashi entered his thinking pose. "Really? Personally, I think it's good… I've used that one a lot of times too…"

Akamaru growled beside Kiba. "Hurry up and give us the damn test so we can pass already!" Kiba shouted. "We've already wasted six hours because of you!"

Kakashi turned around and placed his sack on the ground, taking out several objects. "Who's this 'we' you're talking about?" Kakashi commented idly. "Sasuke and Hinata are both spending their time productively, while you're just siting around waiting for me. They're practicing their taijutsu and warming up for the survival training. This tells me that they are actually taking this seriously. You on the other hand, are complaining because I gave you time to prepare. Honestly, you are pathetic. You could have chose to use this time doing something, ANYTHING, even to play with your dog, but you didn't. So don't say it's my fault," Kakashi stated offhandedly at Kiba, ignoring the boy's enraged expression. From his sack, the jounin pulled out an alarm clock, three bento boxes, a large coil of rope, and two silver bells, which he hooked onto a ring on his belt. "Now, this test is fairly straightforward and simple. All you have to do is take a bell from me. If you don't get one by the time this clock rings, you will fail! I won't tell you when the clock with go off, and don't bother finding out. For all you know, it's go off in five minutes. But anyways, if you fail, not only are you going to be sent back to the Academy, you will also be forced to watch me and your other teammates eat our lunches while you get tied to one of those training logs," Kakashi explained, gesturing to the wooden posts littering the training ground.

Hinata stared at Kakashi, her brows furrowed in thought. "A-Anou, K-K-Kakashi-s-sensei… I-I d-don't t-think that's t-true…"

"Eh? Are you saying that I'm lying, Hinata-chan? I am hurt by your words! My heart throbs in agony!" The gray-haired jounin sighed dramatically.

Hinata blushed. "W-Well, I s-say t-that b-because this t-test i-is not so s-simple. T-There are o-only t-two b-bells, and t-there are t-three of us. As f-far as I k-know, there has n-never b-been any t-two-m-man t-teams in t-the h-history of t-the Elemental N-Nations, e-except d- during w-w-war or in s-special c-c-circumstances. I-If o-one of u-us f-fails, d-does t-that m-mean that w-we'll b-be a t-two-m-man t-team? B-Besides, n-not t-that I t-think S-S-Sasuke-san and K-Kiba-san are w-w-weak, but s-sensei, y-you're a j-jounin! We're j-just f-fresh A-Academy g-graduates… H-How w-will we b-be a-able to g-get a b-bell f-from y-you? I-If w-we work t-together..."

Kakashi grinned at her. "Well thought out, Hinata-chan! Hmm, they are all valid points, and it seems like you're the first one to solve it! Well, partially. But you need to do more than that. Come at me with the intention to kill, or else you will never get the bells." With that, he signalled the start of their test.

***~xXxXxXx~***

"Hey! Come back here you lazy sensei! Don't leave us like this!" Kiba wailed as Kakashi walked away, whistling cheerfully with his orange book in hand. Sasuke scowled angrily. The boys were tied so that their hands were immobile, which meant that they would be unable to perform any jutsu to escape from the ropes. Oh well. At least they passed. It soothes their egos somewhat that they were the first team that actually passed Kakashi's test. Hinata, being the kind soul she was, took out a kunai and began to cut the ropes binding the boys to the training posts. Not once did the three speak to each other, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

The three filthy and battered genins left the training grounds for their own home without a word. They all silently cursed their sensei for making them dirty, hungry, and tired.

The members of Team 7 had reached an unspoken agreement: everything was, and always will be, Kakashi's fault.

* * *

A/N: **AGAIN, IF YOU HAVEN'T CHECKED OUT THE COMPLETE VERSION OF CHAPTER 6, GO BACK AND READ IT!! **

so sorry for the late update... i have no excuse... but in my defence, i sort of predicted that this would happen. it even says in my profile! this is just something i wrote right before my writer's block -glare-. unfortunately, chapter 7 is very iffy. which is why i have to post up a small interlude. it's team kakashi! T^T i suck at writing hinata's part... she's so OOC, she's stuttering, but she has so many crazy thoughts in her head that she actually speaks out!! such a fail... let's just pretend her personality is like that ^^"

*gasp* the infamous bell test! and lazy ass sin, just put a timeskip and not write what happened during the test...maybe when i get time and inspiration i'll finish writing the bell test... just pretend they passed with flying colors! because kiba and hinata work so well together! (and sasuke's a bastard. but i still love him XD) ... so much to do, making an rp... who knew it takes so much time? obviously not me. n00b. XD FAIL

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment/review!


	9. Chapter VII

Code SIN - VII. Training Months – Trial Period

* * *

**IMPORTANT A/N AT THE END, PLEASE READ!**

* * *

"speaking"  
_'thoughts'_ - normal italics without the ' ' is emphasized words  
-line- major time skip and/or scene change**  
*~xXxXxXx~*** very small time skip

* * *

On the other side of Konoha, something similar was taking place. At five in the morning, coincidentally the same time that Team 8 had headed out, one blond-haired genin stumbled her way around the deserted part of the village, tired, cranky, and very much lost. "Five in morning... too early... ninjas are all asleep!.. why must we be here..." Ino muttered under her breath. "And where the hell is Training Ground 44? I haven't even _heard_of Training Ground 44! Me! Not know something! That Ibiki-sensei better not be lying..."

As she rounded the corner, she caught a glimpse of something blindingly orange. Knowing only one person who liked such a disgustingly bright color, she rushed forward to catch up with her teammate. "Hey Naruto!"

The orange-loving genin turned around. "Ino-chan," he greeted her, a bland look on his face. "Hurry up or we'll be late."

Ino flinched inwardly. _'That look is disturbing on his face. Maybe it's the lack of sleep?'_Ino trotted to catch up to Naruto. "Oh, Shino! I didn't see you there!" Indeed, there was the silent Aburame, steadily keeping pace with Naruto. He inclined his head towards her in greeting. He didn't seem ruffled or even annoyed by the early time. Then again, the Aburames rarely showed emotions towards anything. Strangely similar to the Hyuuga. "Hey, hey! Do you guys know where Training Ground 44 is? I tried to ask my dad but he was out on a mission yesterday, my mom didn't know, and the maps didn't show anything!"

"The search for information on Training Ground 44 yielded no results, but Naruto knows the location and shall be guiding us there," Shino intoned. Ino stared in shock. That was the longest sentence she had ever heard from the bug boy.

Naruto blinked slowly. "I have not been inside of Training Ground 44. I only know of its location," he clarified. "However, Anko-nee has, and believe me, from how she reacted afterwards, I'm sure you don't want to be in there." Naruto's voice sounded foreboding, like he was aprehensive about this mysterious Training Ground.

Ino noticed that Naruto's voice seemed to echo. She glanced around. They were at a deserted part of Konoha, which could explain why no one knew or wanted to tell her about it. If Training Ground 44 was located here, that would explain why Ino didn't know about it. Not many people liked to be around this place. She had heard frightening rumours about this place. The Forest of Death was situated in the middle of the abandoned district, and it was said to be haunted. People claimed that at night, dying screams could be heard from the Forest of Death.

Ino shivered. The vibes coming from the Forest of Death, which was visible from far away due to its size and height, was creeping her out. She wished Training Ground 44 wasn't so close to the Forest of Death. She started to sweat as Naruto led them closer and closer to the huge wire fences that surrounded the densely wooded forest.

"N-Naruto? What are we doing here?" She asked nervously as they stopped in front of the metal fencing. Shino said nothing and pointed to a worn and rusted sign in front of a pair of metal doors built into the wiring. Ino stared in horror. On the sign, in bold red letters, were the words, "Training Ground 44", visible even against the splatters of what she presumed to be blood. "You have got to be kidding me. _This_ is Training Ground 44? I mean, why would this be Training Ground 44? This is the Forest of Death! There must have been some mistake! Everyone moved out of this area because this stupid forest is here! They say people have _died_ in there!"

"Ah, yes, the Chuunin Exams. A lot of chuunin hopefuls had perished in the forest from the man-eating creatures, poisonous plants, and other dangerous things. Stupid weaklings. Didn't deserve to live. It was fun to watch though," a jovial voice commented from behind them, stopping Ino's babbling.

Naruto scowled. "How did you get behind us without me noticing?"

Ibiki grinned. "Lots of practice. Or maybe you just suck."

Naruto pouted. "Meanie."

* * *

**A/N: PLEASE READ!** this story is official on hiatus, because the ideas aren't flowing. this is what I have so far for this chapter, and will probably be the last thing in a loong while. sorry

~Sin


End file.
